Thursday, November 28, 2013

My daughter took a job in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

From Toni Erin Penery (my daughter)
This appeared in the newsletter for the Five Element Academy of Acupuncture in Gainesville, Florida:

I am the Director of the new Acupuncture Department at Valir Health in Oklahoma City, OK. I’m starting this department from the ground up, working with physicians and other primary care providers as well as running an outpatient Acupuncture clinic at the hospital and start-up clinics in their 13 outpatient facilities. Valir is dedicated to utilizing all forms of effect treatment in an effort to meet their patients needs. I am super excited because I get to meld Eastern and Western medicine! I credit AFEA for this opportunity. Even after you graduate you are still part of the family and I love that.

Toni Penery
Class 28

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Calorie Count for Thanksgiving Dinner

Calorie Count for Thanksgiving Dinner

Time for some realism:
4 ounces baked turkey-118
1 cup green beans-40
l/2 cup cranberry sauce-132
Gravy-1 to 2 ounces-50 calories
Yeast roll-100 for small sized roll
1 tablespoon real butter-100
Mashed potatoes-l/2 cup serving 100
Pumpkin pie-320

EQUALS 960

Does not consider second helpings or other foods
Such as macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole, etc.

Mayor Rob Ford Has Given Me Lots of Laughs

Robert Ford , the sixty-fourth and current Mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has big problems. Ford was accused months ago of using illegal drugs, consorting with prostitutes in the mayor’s office, driving while drunk, smoking pot while on duty in the mayor’s office, making inappropriate comments containing sexual content to female staff members and hanging out with drug dealers. Ford had denied these allegations until this week when he was called in front of the Toronto City Council for questioning.

During an investigation by the Toronto Police Service a cell phone belonging to an individual who had been killed in a drug deal gone bad was discovered to contain video of the mayor using crack cocaine.

While being questioned by the Council, the mayor admitted he did use crack cocaine saying it was"probably in one of my drunken stupors". The mayor added that he is not addicted to drugs.

Ford was elected mayor in 2010 taking office on December first of that year. He was able to get elected by campaigning on environmental issues, promising to plant more trees.

On November 15, 2013 Toronto City Council voted to remove certain mayoral powers from Ford and grant them to Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly for the remainder of Ford's term.

Mayor Ford said that the Council had no legal authority to remove him from office and he will not resign.

The husky-built mayor is often seen in public with rolls of fat from his belly showing as his shirt flaps outside of his pants. He has also appeared to be under the influence of alcohol as he walked directly into a camera on one occasion nearly knocking himself out.

The mayor is often seen wearing a purple and white jersey in support of the Toronto Argonauts, a team in the Canadian Football League. Members of the team have recently said that this is an embarrassment to them.

Since the episode began the mayor has been followed by a phalanx of reporters and photographers stopping on several occasions to give comments. It was during one of these brief interview sessions when the mayor made several totally inappropriate remarks referring to graphic sex acts.

Strangely, the mayor’s approval ratings have gone up 5 points during this ordeal leading the mayor to confirm that he will not resign and will seek a second term in 2014.

Vowing to continue to work for Toronto, the mayor said, "I understand the embarrassment that I've caused every resident in this city. I'm humiliated by it but I can't change the past."


Christmas Creep

Christmas Creep M. Woodward

The day after Halloween I entered into a local store that sells things like dishwashing liquid, vegetable oil, fingernail polish, colas, paper, pens and scissors.

As I walked through the store, I could not help but notice that the isles, shelves and walls were loaded with Christmas decorations and lights. It was not that the store had a few holiday decorations sitting in the corners waiting to be used, but the entire place was aglow with 100% Christmas finery.

I momentarily went into shock. It’s November first. Where did Thanksgiving go? What about autumn leaves falling gently to the ground? As I shopped, a loud argument between myself and the store began in my mind.

The Store: It’s Christmas.

Me: It’s November first.

The Store: It’s Christmas.

Me: It’s November first.

The Store: It’s Christmas.

Me: It’s November first.

Apparently I am not the only person who feels this way as more and more people are speaking out against the early bombardment of Christmas regalia. The idea that retailers are pushing back the date for the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season from the first Friday after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday, has been defined as Christmas Creep. (From Wikipedia: Christmas creep is defined as a
merchandising phenomenon in which merchants and retailers exploit the commercialized status of Christmas by moving up the start of the holiday shopping season. The term was first used in the mid-1980s. The Christmas season begins with Advent between November 27 and December 3 and lasts through Christmastide, which officially starts December 25 and lasts 12 days.)

Did you know that this idea began with Sam’s Club and Wal-mart? Target and J.C. Penney soon followed turning what is supposed to be a religious celebration into a few more days for corporate greed to run amuck

Frankly, I am against Christmas Creep. I do not and will not support it. I suggest that more and more families do what our family does. Once my children became adults, we agreed to celebrate the holidays by getting together for a nice meal and a fun activity like a day trip or going to a movie. We exchange small gifts and have set a limit for spending. We pass around a list of our needs and wants a few days before Christmas and everyone gets something they can use. I have one daughter who enjoys decorating her house and my house, so she does. My son might hang lights outside, but just as well might not. My other daughter enjoys traveling so she is generally out of town on Christmas Day. We have found that our plan has eliminated the seasonal stress factor. We also save money while enjoying ourselves as a family. Isn’t that the best gift you can give on Christmas?

As far as Christmas Creep, stores need to beware because the creep that is coming is digital. The one thing they will need to do is to be sure they have spiced up their websites. According to SOASTA, a leader in on-line testing, the results for 2013’s Holiday Retails Readiness Survey shows that 86% of Americans plan to shop online for the holidays this year, with the Northeast ranking first (89%) followed by the Western states (86%), South (85%) and the Midwest (83%). Will we see a day when the retail store is a thing of the past? Possibly.